$50 iTunes Gift Card Giveaway

Independent artists face a multitude of challenges when deciding to release new material to the world. Chances are, another band with a similar sound has plans to enter the marketplace at the very same time. Social networks allow us to engage large numbers of potential fans, yet we often misuse them by force feeding mp3 links, and not providing any real incentive to listen or buy. One way to stand out from the crowd is to create a contest or giveaway around your lead single. 

In this live case study, I will use Twitter, Fairtilizer, Bit.ly and my blog to create excitement around a new project from Supa Crucial Recordings. The label is home to record producer, film composer and recording artist, The Angel. Her work includes the offical score for the films, Boiler Room, Grid Loc’d and KiDULTHOOD. On Tuesday, September 22nd, The Angel is releasing a new single entitled, “Ultra Light” ft veteran soul singer & songwriter, Jhelisa. 

A few days prior to their release, I created this giveaway on my blog. Fairtilizer has agreed to feature the contest on the front page of their site and use Facebook and Twitter to promote the giveaway as well. 

Title: The Angel ft Jhelisa – “Ulta Light” Giveaway

Incentive: 5 winners will receive a free download of, “Supa Crucial Downtempo Remixes & Rarities”. 1 lucky grand prize winner will take home a $50 iTunes Gift Card. The contest will run until September 30th at Midnight. The grand prize winner will be announced on October 1st.

Rules:

1.) Follow @eleetmusic on Twitter.  I’ll immediately follow you back.
2.) Listen to The Angel ft Jhelisa, ”Ultra Light” on the Fairtilizer player below. 
3.) Post a comment about the song on this page only. Be honest but tactful.
4.) Retweet the following:RT @eleetmusic The Angel ft Jhelisa, ”Ultra Light”  @Fairtilizer | http://bit.ly/2wv3nm | via @supacrucial

Results: To accurately measure Return On Investment (ROI), I will track the following items. Twitter Followers, Re Tweet’s, Fairtilier Track Statistics, Blog Comments, and Sales from iTunes [provided by the label]. Attached is a spreadsheet that I will use to monitor these items.

Goal: With a very small budget (i.e. $50 iTunes Gift Card), we plan to engage potential fans, receive immediate feedback and create awareness around this release. As the giveaway progress, I will update this post with the pros and cons of this type of campaign. 

Click here if you’d like to enter.

I’m interested in hearing your giveaway experiences, thoughts and suggestions. How are you providing incentive to listen or buy?